• 2025.10.22 (Wed)
  • All articles
  • LOGIN
  • JOIN
Global Economic Times
APEC2025KOREA가이드북
  • Synthesis
  • World
  • Business
  • Industry
  • ICT
  • Distribution Economy
  • Korean Wave News
  • Opinion
  • Arts&Culture
  • Sports
  • People & Life
  • Lee Yeon-sil Column
  • Ko Yong-chul Column
  • Photo News
  • New Book Guide
  • Cherry Garden Story
MENU
 
Home > Synthesis

Military Personnel Who 'Disobeyed' Illegal Martial Law Orders to Be Honored for 'Refusing Insurrection'

Desk / Updated : 2025-07-18 21:10:47
  • -
  • +
  • Print

 

The Ministry of National Defense is pushing to identify and award military personnel who disobeyed illegal and unjust orders from superiors during the declaration of emergency martial law on December 3rd of last year. This is a groundbreaking measure to honor "disobedience"—acts of upholding military ethos by refusing unlawful directives—in a military organization where obedience to orders is considered an absolute value. This move is interpreted as an intention to redefine the principle of reward and punishment within the military, reaffirming the military's essential mission to protect the people and the constitution, rather than blindly following only superiors' orders.

The Ministry of National Defense's push for these awards is closely related to a series of events that unfolded immediately after the emergency martial law declaration last year. At that time, 1,605 armed soldiers were deployed to the National Assembly and the National Election Commission, among other places. Jo Sung-hyun, Commander of the 1st Security Group of the Capital Defense Command, who was dispatched to the National Assembly, revealed that he "received orders to drag out National Assembly members." However, Commander Jo disobeyed these unjust orders, testifying that he "judged it to be an illegitimate mission and instructed the soldiers who had entered the National Assembly to gather in an area where there were no people, and ordered subsequent units not to cross the Seogang Bridge towards the National Assembly but to wait." His actions are credited with playing a decisive role in preventing the emergency martial law troops from entering the National Assembly and attempting to arrest lawmakers at the time.

In addition, there were other righteous acts by military personnel, such as a field commander who refused orders from superiors to "forcibly suppress citizens resisting martial law troops," and an officer who prevented the approval of martial law helicopters entering Seoul three times, delaying the National Assembly's entry by over 40 minutes. Moon Hyung-bae, then acting Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court, stated, "The National Assembly was able to swiftly resolve the demand for the lifting of emergency martial law thanks to the resistance of citizens and the passive execution of duties by the military and police," suggesting that their roles contributed to the early lifting of the emergency martial law.

The Ministry of National Defense plans to actively identify, award, and encourage military personnel who, by refusing unlawful orders, contributed to maintaining public safety and order. An official from the Ministry of National Defense explained, "We will thoroughly verify the facts, and if it is determined that they contributed to protecting the lives and property of the people and upholding constitutional values, they will be awarded." They added, "This is also very significant in terms of boosting military morale." Awards for general soldiers will be in the form of early promotion, while for officers, it will be reflected in promotion evaluations. The Ministry of National Defense plans to actively collect media reports and tips, as well as conduct on-site investigations to ascertain accurate facts.

However, as the special prosecutor's investigation into the insurrection incident is currently ongoing, if any military personnel are found during the investigation to have condoned or erred in relation to the illegal orders at the time, those facts will be handed over to the special prosecutor for legal accountability. This clearly separates the military leadership who blindly followed the erroneous orders of the military commander-in-chief from the soldiers who, though passively, courageously disobeyed orders to prevent clashes with citizens. It demonstrates the Ministry of National Defense's strong will to establish proper values and ethical consciousness within the military.

This measure by the Ministry of National Defense is expected to be an important turning point, proclaiming that the military's raison d'être is to protect the people and the constitution, not to be the private army of a particular power holder. As part of efforts not to repeat the painful history of military dictatorship, it remains to be seen whether clearly recognizing disobedience to illegal orders as an expression of military ethos that deserves respect, rather than a disadvantage, will help redefine the military's status and restore public trust.

[Copyright (c) Global Economic Times. All Rights Reserved.]

  • #globaleconomictimes
  • #micorea
  • #mykorea
  • #Lifeplaza
  • #nammidonganews
  • #singaporenewsk
  • #Taiwanpost
  • #Samsung
  • #Doosa
Desk
Desk

Popular articles

  • Korean Gold Rush Overheats as 'Kimchi Premium' Hits Dangerous Levels

  • KOSPI Sensitive to Global Headwinds Ahead of Holiday Break

  • Seoul Launches Driverless Shuttle Service in City Center

I like it
Share
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Kakaotalk
  • LINE
  • BAND
  • NAVER
  • https://globaleconomictimes.kr/article/1065615018720857 Copy URL copied.
Comments >

Comments 0

Weekly Hot Issue

  • Japan Elects Ultraconservative Sanae Takaichi as First Female Prime Minister: The 'Female Abe' Ascends
  • Trump Pressured Zelensky to 'Accept Russia's Demands or Be Destroyed,' Report from FT Reveals
  • Kering Sells Beauty Division to L'Oréal for €4 Billion Amid Gucci Slump 
  • NATO Deputy Secretary General Pledges to Strengthen Substantive Cooperation with South Korea, Including Defense Industry
  • Uruguay Becomes First Latin American Country to Legalize Euthanasia by Law
  • Peru Declares State of Emergency Amid Political Unrest Fueled by 'Gen Z' Protests

Most Viewed

1
The Imminent Reality: Donald Trump's Unlikelihood for the Nobel Peace Prize as a Destroyer of International Order
2
Renewable Energy Covers 100% of Global Electricity Demand Growth in H1 2025, Marking a Turning Point in the Fossil Fuel Era
3
McDonald's 'Subtle Racism' Controversy: Korean American Denied Order After 70-Minute Wait
4
A Chemical Revolution, the Era of Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) Begins: 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
5
Early Winter Chill Grips South Korea as Seoraksan Sees First Snow
광고문의
임시1
임시3
임시2

Hot Issue

EU States Agree to Complete Phase-Out of Russian Gas by End of 2027

US Ships to be Built in South Korea: Washington Considers Easing Protective Maritime Laws for Alliance Shipbuilding Cooperation

South Korea to Drastically Increase Domestic LNG Shipping Rate to 70%

Japan Elects Ultraconservative Sanae Takaichi as First Female Prime Minister: The 'Female Abe' Ascends

Let’s recycle the old blankets in Jeju Island’s closet instead of incinerating them.

Global Economic Times
korocamia@naver.com
CEO : LEE YEON-SIL
Publisher : KO YONG-CHUL
Registration number : Seoul, A55681
Registration Date : 2024-10-24
Youth Protection Manager: KO YONG-CHUL
Singapore Headquarters
5A Woodlands Road #11-34 The Tennery. S'677728
Korean Branch
Phone : +82(0)10 4724 5264
#304, 6 Nonhyeon-ro 111-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
Copyright © Global Economic Times All Rights Reserved
  • 에이펙2025
  • APEC2025가이드북TV
  • 세종시
Search
Category
  • All articles
  • Synthesis
  • World
  • Business
  • Industry
  • ICT
  • Distribution Economy
  • Korean Wave News
  • Opinion
  • Arts&Culture
  • Sports
  • People & Life
  • Lee Yeon-sil Column
  • Ko Yong-chul Column
  • Photo News
  • New Book Guide
  • Cherry Garden Story
  • Multicultural News
  • Jobs & Workers
  • APEC 2025 KOREA GUIDE